Requiem
by lioness1120
Summary: Requiem:a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person. Snapshots of Hermione's life as she turns dark.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey guys! It's been about a million years and I am soooo sorry! Senior year was crazy and I didn't have time to sleep let alone write! But I'm back now since it's summer and I'm raring to write. Again, I don't know how much I'll be updating since I leave for college at the end of August but as always reviews = faster updates! I'm going back over this and making everything longer and revising other things which should make everyone happy so the first few chapters will come out pretty quickly. This is just the beginning preview. All the other chapters should (hopefully!) be longer.

**Disclaimer: None of it's mine unfortunately. I wish I were one of the richest women in the world.

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The ghost of Albus Dumbledore walked across the desolate field that had once held the greatest school of magic ever known. Hogwarts, virtually impervious to any attack, had been leveled by, of all things, love. After surviving attacks from angry villagers in the days of the Founders, Grindewald's attack nearly 60 years earlier and Voldemort's last stand, Hogwarts had fallen… because of love. The specter shook his head at the irony. Love: the very weapon that Albus had tried so desperately to cultivate in Harry, the only truly effective weapon against the Dark Lord.

He had worried when he left the boy at the Dursley's, knowing that his mother's relatives would show him little affection. However, Harry's childhood was a necessary sacrifice to protect him from the evils of the world as long as possible. In the end, everything has worked itself out better than Albus had planned. Coming into Hogwarts, Harry was a boy starved for love yet willing to share his heart with many. Yes, despite all of Minerva's protestations, leaving Harry at number 4 Privet Drive was the best thing for _the greater good. _

The ghost smiled sadly in remembrance of the boy. So eager and willing to love and be loved in return, Harry had become all that Albus could have ever hoped for. Voldemort had been no match for Harry's capacity to love. He had stood before Voldemort with those he loved most at his back: Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the rest of the Weasley's. With that much love behind him, well, how could he fail? And so Lord Voldemort had been defeated, once and for all. Dumbledore had thought that now, finally, Harry would have the normal life he had always wanted, without the threat of Voldemort hanging ominously over his head.

But it wouldn't do to think of Harry now. No, that would only make the old ghost sink deeper into depression. Even Harry could not have stopped this devastation_. _After all, it was something no one had ever expected. It was over before they had realized something had begun and the world was forever changed.

No, there was nothing anyone could have done…

"_Well,"_ Albus thought, _"there was a way. But I cannot blame him for not taking it. I would not have expected him to. It would have compromised him in every way possible."_

Again, Albus gazed across the forsaken plain. He sighed heavily. The scene before him was the polar opposite of what Hogwarts had once been. The grass was browning, close to dead, the trees devoid of any leaves. The Forbidden Forest was not nearly as frightening now, its depths laid bare for anyone to see. The majority of animals were either long gone or had been killed at the beginning. The centaurs' stargazing had not warned them of their impending massacre. Such powerful allies could have tipped the scale. The few unicorns that had lived in the forest before had been the first to flee, sensing the darkness gathering in the castle. Hagrid's old pet Aragog's brood had stayed and thrived. The entire forest was now considered Acromantula territory. The thestrals had also remained. It only seemed fitting that those who only appeared once one had seen death would linger in these dark days.

Albus turned to glance behind him, where the majestic fortress that was Hogwarts had once stood. The castle was now only partially intact. All but one tower had been toppled, every secret passageway permanently sealed. The heart of the castle now served as _her_ headquarters. The remaining bits of the castle were not all even used. The dungeons held their prisoners but the lower levels housed surprisingly few. Dozens of classrooms sat empty, merely waiting for the students and professors that would never come. House elves still cleaned with their usual vigor but it was done in vain as there was little hope the facilities would ever again be used.

The one thing that stuck out the most though was…the silence. No birds were flying overhead, no students shrieking merrily as they enjoyed the grounds. No Quidditch practice, no young lovers walking around the lake. It was purely silent. Lifeless.

Albus turned away from the barren wasteland where Hogwarts had once proudly stood, a haven for so many over the centuries and slowly walked down to the lake where a lone figure stood, facing the breeze, hair whipping in the wind. Again he sighed as he looked upon the fiercely determined young woman responsible for the catastrophe that had essentially brought down the Wizarding World.

"_Oh, Hermione… It didn't have to be this way." _

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**A/N:** So what'd you think? I know I hate when authors beg for reviews but please do review! They give me a sense of what everyone is feeling and if you have any ideas you think would be great send them right over! I love to hear what people think and I'll try to respond and go read your own stories as well.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **This is a bit early but I wanted to get it out there before this crazy week coming up. I'll try to keep to my schedule but I can't promise anything! As always, reviews motivate me to write, so please do review! I'm also in need of a beta so if these chapters seem a little rough, that's why! Please let me know if you see any mistakes or have suggestions!

**Disclaimer: None of it is mine unfortunately. I wish I were one of the richest women in the world**

On her eleventh birthday, Hermione Granger was doing what she did best: reading. Her parents had tried to tempt her with a party but she had refused. Mature for her age and actually quite unpopular, Hermione knew that if her parents were to throw her a birthday party, few people would show up and those that did would have been forced by their parents. Better to not have a party and spare herself the pitying and hateful looks. Her parents were unaware of any of Hermione's troubles making friends and she intended to keep it that way. She was such a _good _child after all.

So here she was, alone in her room, reading. Hearing an annoying tapping sound, Hermione glanced upward. "_Oh, it's only an owl."_ she thought absentmindedly before returning to her book. The tapping continued though getting louder as the bird grew more insistent. Irritated, Hermione set her book down gently. (After all, anger is no reason for treating a book badly.) Getting up, she quickly crossed to the window and stared. It was indeed an owl. Not only an owl but an owl in broad daylight with a letter tied to its leg. Seeing that Hermione was finally paying attention to it, the owl glared pointedly as if to say, "Let me in now, you stupid human". Alarmed but curious, Hermione opened the window and the owl flew in, landing on her dresser. Sticking its leg out, the owl again looked at Hermione as if she was an idiot. She gingerly took the letter and seeing as it was addressed to her opened it.

Downstairs, her parents, Jane and Robert Granger, were drinking tea and worrying about their only child. "Now Robert, I really don't see why you have to _defend_ her." Hermione's mother was saying, "I thought we both agreed that we wanted a _perfect_ child. Not one that was socially inept!"

Now Robert Granger was not an unreasonable or illogical man. He had agreed to have a child because his wife wanted one. "A perfect family" she had said. He had never wanted children at all and thought them a bother before Hermione came along. For he adored his daughter, he truly did. Yet, he spent most of his time defending her from his wife's criticism. Jane's model for the perfect family had not exactly been realized with Hermione. Hermione tried so hard to be perfect for her mother but it was never enough. Odd things always happened to her that Hermione could never explain. Even worse, Hermione sensed her mother's disdain. Robert sighed and tried to calm his wife down "Now Jane, please…" He was cut off by a scream from upstairs. Hermione came barreling down the stairs, her usual decorum gone.

"Daddy, look!" Hermione was waving a piece of paper around, dancing and giggling madly with glee. "Oh Daddy, it's wonderful! Can you just imagine? This explains everything! Oh, I can't wait! This is the best thing that's ever happened! Oh Daddy!" She was cut off by her father.

"Hermione, what is it?" Robert asked, confused by his daughter's joy.

"Hermione!" Her mother cut in sharply. "This is no way to act! What if we had guests? Collect yourself immediately!" She was practically hissing in her rage. But Hermione's joy could not be contained or diminished. She thrust the letter at her father. "Here! Read it Daddy!" she cried.

Taking the letter from her hand, her father smoothed out the wrinkles and read_, "Dear Miss Granger, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…" _

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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Nothing but the plot is mine.**

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Today was the day. Hermione had woken up with butterflies swirling around in her stomach in anticipation and nervousness. She was finally going to Hogwarts. A place where she belonged.

"Daddy, we're going to be late!" she cried while tramping down the stairs in such a hurry that she nearly fell. Truthfully though, she was hours early. It was 7:00 and the train didn't leave until 1:00. The Grangers only lived about 10 minutes from King's Cross. They had plenty of time. "I'm going to miss the train and then what will I do? They won't let me come. Or they'll think I changed my mind and don't want to come. Oh no! Daddy we have to go now!" Hermione wailed as she tried to tug a brush through her tangled curls. Looking up from his morning paper her father just chuckled at his normally polished daughter's appearance. She really was a hilarious sight to see. Hair all mussed up from sleep, only one shoe on, the other held in her hand. Her clothing didn't match and looking down, yes he noted, she was wearing two different socks.

"Hermione, my dear, we have plenty of time. Try to relax. You don't want to make yourself sick." And with that, her father turned back to his paper, hiding his smile as Hermione let out a cry of frustration. Behind him, the kitchen door swung open and his wife stepped though. There was an enormous crash as she dropped whatever she had been holding.

"Hermione, _what_ are you wearing?" she asked frostily. "You don't actually think you are leaving this house looking like that, do you? You look like some unkempt, homeless vagabond. No daughter of _mine _would ever dress like that. This kind of behavior is absolutely shameful and unacceptable. It makes me reconsider if I should actually let you go to that _school._" She spit the word school out like it was a dirty word. "After all, what are _you_ going to do with this _magic_? I doubt you could do it anyway. Just look at the way you do everything else. You can't even dress properly and you're eleven years old." She sniffed haughtily and looked down her nose at her daughter.

"Jane…"He started in a warning tone. Robert Granger could take only so much from his wife. Glancing over at his daughter he saw tears running down her red cheeks, all of her previous glee vanished. Looking up at her mother, she slowly turned and walked back up the stairs to her room where she quietly shut the door. "Jane, why do you insist on doing this to her? She's your daughter, not a slave you can just order around. You always take away her happiness. Can't you just see that all she wants to do is please you? And all you ever do is belittle her." He turned toward his wife, anger evident on his face. Shocked she took a step back from him.

"Robert, I-", she tried to cut in but stopped short at the look on her husband's face. Jane did know what she did to Hermione. It wasn't entirely on purpose. After all, she didn't _want_ to hate her daughter. But Hermione had what she had never had, would never had. And she was jealous, oh was she jealous. That jealousy manifested itself in a burning rage and so she lashed out at Hermione. Never at Robert though. She loved her husband more than anything in the world. If she lost him, she would probably die. But looking at his face now, Jane knew she had gone too far. She tried to backpedal, make amends. "I-I-I'm sorry Robert. I didn't mean to lash out. It's just been one of those mornings. Please, forgive me." She drew closer to him to take him in an embrace but he shrugged her off.

"It's not me you need to apologize to, it's Hermione. This has gotten worse than ever since she got her Hogwarts letter." Seeing the pain on his wife's face at the mention of the letter, he took her face into his hands. She tried to turn away from him but he brought her face back to him. He was more than surprise to see tears glistening in her eyes. "Oh, Jane, my love, what am I to do with you. One second you're hot and the next you're cold. I know my dear, that you didn't marry me for my brains, but even I know when you're trying to hide something from me. What is it that you don't want me to know?"

Pulling away from him, Jane brushed the tears from her eyes. "It's nothing, dear, nothing. I don't want to concern you with it. Just ghosts from my past coming back to haunt me." She managed a weak smile. "I'll go apologize to Hermione and then we'll go. Hmm?" Without waiting for his answer, she turned and walked up the stairs to Hermione's room.

Staring at his wife's back as she walked up the stairs, Robert knew more was going on and he knew it was probably something he needed to know. But he knew his wife would never give the information up unless she wanted to. His mysterious, lovely Jane. Upstairs, he heard the murmur of quiet voices and it wasn't long before Hermione came bounding down the stairs again, her excitement restored. Her mother followed her, a small, sad smile on her face. Robert shook his head, determined to figure out the story later. Looking down at his smiling daughter's face, he couldn't help but smile. He did notice though that Hermione had changed her clothes and now looked exceedingly prim and proper. Grabbing her small hand in his much larger one, the family left the house together for King's Cross and a completely different world.

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A/N: So what do you guys think? It's a bit longer than the last few chapters. And what _is _Mrs. Granger's secret, hm? Tell me your thoughts and I might tell you if you're right! I just want to thank everyone for reading. This is a whole new experience for me and I'm finding it a bit harder than I had hoped! I know it's been a lot longer than I said it would be to a new update but I've been crazy busy with college applications(!) so now that I'm on break I'll probably be able to update more. As always, I'm open to any suggestions you might have and it would be lovely if anyone wanted to beta for me.


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